Whole-wheat pasta redeemed with chard and cheese

No matter how unimpeachable whole-wheat pasta is in terms of nutritional cred, Iíve always found it off-putting.

Sure, it has more fiber and whole-grain nutrition. But it always struck me as rather spineless and dull. And as someone whose culinary credo is that food can be scrumptious and healthy, I wasnít about to eat whole-wheat pasta for its nutritional benefits alone.

Happily, several brands recently have developed very respectable lines of 100 percent whole-wheat pasta. If you havenít lately, you might want to taste a few of them to decide which is your favorite.

Once youíve settled on a winner, cook it the way I suggest in this recipe, which is to finish cooking the pasta in the sauce. This produces a more flavorful dish than the more traditional method ó cooking the sauce and pasta separately, then combining them only at the last minute. Plenty tasty, but the flavors never marry.

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I learned a better way years ago when New York chef and restaurateur Scott Conant (his mom is of Italian descent) was my guest on ďCooking Live.Ē Transfer the pasta before itís fully cooked to the sauce, then let it simmer in the sauce until itís done. This way the pasta absorbs the flavor of the sauce and becomes that much tastier.

If you also add a little of the pasta cooking liquid to the sauce, it will work to glue together the pasta and sauce in a most satisfyingly connubial fashion.

And letís not forget our Swiss chard. A spring vegetable, this tangy Mediterranean member of the beet family comes in several colors, from bottle green to rainbow. And itís edible from tip to toe, too, stems included. Just slice the stems and put them in the pan before the greens, because they take a little longer to soften.

By the way, if youíre wondering how the heck youíre going to persuade a full pound of greens to cook down within the confines of a single skillet, donít worry; the water that clings to the greens after you wash them will help them to wilt. Just add them a handful at a time. Besides chard, this dish also would provide a happy home for spinach, beet greens, or any other greens.

To finish, I pepped up the greens with a little chicken sausage, but just a little and just for flavor. Plenty of cultures use animal protein this way, rather than relying on a substantial slab of it to occupy the center of the plate. Thereís a lesson there for us: itís better for our health and for the environment.

This is pretty much a one-dish meal. Serve it with a nice little tossed salad on the side and a glass of vino, and savor your contentment.

Whole-Wheat Penne with Spring Greens and Sausage

If you have trouble finding Swiss chard, you can substitute spinach. Discard any tough spinach stems and use the leaves as directed.

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the sausages and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausages to a bowl.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the onion. Cook until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

Add the Swiss chard stems to the skillet, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Remove the lid and add half the Swiss chard greens. Stir and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are slightly wilted. Add the remaining greens, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until completely wilted. Add the tomatoes, a hefty pinch of salt and the red pepper flakes, if using.

When the pasta is almost done but not quite al dente, drain it, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Add the pasta and 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid to the skillet and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, adding more cooking liquid if necessary, until the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the sausages, then season with salt. Divide the mixture among 4 shallow bowls and top each portion with some of the cheese.